Risky Rockpools
by StrongerWithThePack
Summary: The Tracy family get a reality check when they remember that living on an isolated island in the middle of the South Pacific ocean isn't actually all that safe.


**Trying to get back into writing again so here's some shameless Gordon whump (i.e my fav thing to write). Please take all medical jargon with a pinch of salt.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

The skies above were overcast with dark clouds as Scott and Gordon made their way along the beach-front of Tracy Island. The last 24 hours had kept all the Tracy's house-bound as one of the worst storms they'd had in a long time wreaked havoc across the island.

They had listened to the chaos with bated breath, praying the house wouldn't be damaged under the force of it. It was a miracle no calls had come in as they definitely would not have been able to launch any of their birds in those conditions.

John had been monitoring things from Thunderbird 5 and had assured them that despite the strength of the storm, it would be short lasting. Gordon was thankful of that as he surveyed the damage that had been inflicted on his beach. It wouldn't be easy clearing all of this up.

When the storm had finally calmed down Gordon was insistent that he had to check the beaches for any sea-life that had been marooned there. Of course, Scott had insisted on coming with him under the claim that he wanted to help the sea creatures also.

Gordon had a feeling it had more to do with the fact his brother didn't want him out here alone. The sheer force of the storm had rattled the family and although John had assured them they were through the worst of it, Gordon knew Scott wasn't quite ready to believe that yet.

But hey, Gordon wasn't complaining if it meant he would gain an extra pair of hands to help clear the beach. He had made his way over to some of the bigger rockpools and knelt down to get a closer look at the fish currently residing in them.

If he wasn't mistaken, and he very rarely was when it came to sea-life, there were currently about 20 yellowback fusilier fish that seemed to be trapped within the confines of the rockpools. They usually didn't travel this far South but they must have gotten caught up in the storm.

"Hey Scott, come help me with these fish!" Gordon shouted over his shoulder as he noticed Scott behind him.

They'd been out here for over an hour now and Gordon knew Scott was getting bored but that's what he gets for volunteering. Maybe next time he'll think twice before being an overprotective idiot.

When Scott reached his side he explained the situation and they both began placing the fish into buckets of water they'd brought down with them to move them to the ocean in. Gordon smirked as he noticed the disgusted face Scott made every time he picked up one of the fish.

Well, when a golden opportunity such as this presents itself to him, Gordon can't be expected just to ignore it, can he? Picking up one of the fish closest to him he moved over to his oldest brother holding it right in his face.

When Scott flinched back violently Gordon mocked "What's the matter Scott? Our high and mighty field commander isn't afraid of a tiny little fish, is he?"

Scott glared at him "Did you want help or not Gordon because I can happily stand by and watch"

Gordon knew Scott wasn't kidding but he'd been cooped up in the house for too long now and needed to let off some steam.

"Of course I want help! I mean just look at their sad little faces"

He shoved the fish towards Scott again and wasn't expecting it when Scott, probably out of reflex, physically shoved him back. Losing his footing on the rocks, he splashed down into one of the rockpools and flailed in the water slightly as he dropped the fish he'd been holding.

Once he'd composed himself he could hear Scott trying to hold in a snicker at his brothers predicament. Gordon glared at him.

"Not funny Scott, I could have landed on one of the fish!"

Scott just smiled "Hey, I'm not the one who was using them as a puppet"

Gordon grumbled unhappily as he put his hands down ready to push himself up but instead found himself pulling his left hand back with a sharp cry of pain before he'd even registered what had happened.

Turning his shaking hand over he took a sharp intake of breath as he noticed a number of red circular spikes sticking out of his palm. The pain was excruciating and he let out a sharp cry.

"Gordon!? What is it? What's wrong?"

It was then he remembered Scott was still there as his older brothers worried voice sounded above the buzzing that had started in his ears. Gordon was pretty sure he already knew the answer to Scott's question but he had to be sure.

Ignoring the pain he gently pulled back the seaweed that was covering where he put his hand down. He let out a shaky breath as his theory was confirmed.

"Dammit" he swore "No, no, no!"

Standing up he quickly moved back to the beach where Scott was standing, his older brothers face was the epitome of worried. He brushed straight past him, still trying to process what was happening himself even knowing he was leaving his brother completely in the dark.

He should have known that was never going to go down well as he felt a strong hand on his shoulder halting his movements and suddenly Scott was right in front of him.

"Gordon stop! What the hell is going on!?" There was a frantic edge to Scott's voice and Gordon knew they weren't going anywhere until he explained himself. He also knew he desperately had to get back to house and Brains though. That was only heightened as he noticed the cramping pain in his hand spreading up his arm.

Taking a deep breath and looking Scott straight in the eye, he tried to keep his tone light-hearted.

"That was a flower urchin." He held out his hand which was now very red and irritated around the circular things "these are pedicellariae and they're currently pumping poison into my bloodstream. The poison can cause convulsions, paralysis, respiratory failure and eventually death so I'm really quite keen to get back to Brains right now"

Gordon watched as Scott's face morphed from confusion into horror and then freeze in place as he tried to process what his little brother had told him. It was then Gordon felt a particularly strong pulse of pain racing up his arm and couldn't help the squeak that escaped his mouth.

"It also causes severe, agonising pain so I would appreciate it if we could hurry up"

He pulled away from Scott and starting walking back in the direction of the house. He heard as Scott ran to catch up with him giving a whispered _"dammit" _before activating his wrist watch.

"Brains are you there?"

Gordon watched as Brains' hologram appeared out of the watch. He tuned them out as Scott began explaining the situation, trying not to focus on the pain that was now spreading up his shoulder. His limbs were already beginning to feel weak and he tried to make his way quickly along on the debris covered beach.

He knew he wouldn't have long before the paralysis set in, he'd read about cases of this particular poisoning and he really hoped brains knew what he was doing. It was extremely fast acting and extremely dangerous.

Lost in his thoughts Gordon didn't even noticed at first when his legs involuntarily gave way underneath him. Falling to the ground he grunted in pain as his arm was jarred on impact. He desperately tried to get up again but his limbs just didn't seem to want to hold his weight.

Scott was by his side in a second, worriedly bending down to his little brother.

"Gordon, what's wrong?" he asked hastily.

Gordon looked at his brother helplessly as he grunted through gritted teeth "Remember the paralysis I mentioned?"

He didn't have to elaborate as strong arms lifted him off the ground and helping him find he feet.

Scott kept a tight grip on his little brother and they began stumbling forward towards the house.

Gordon was barely even aware they were moving as he felt the pain reverberating throughout his entire body. It was a known fact Gordon had a very high pain tolerance after his experience with the hydrofoil crash but it had been a very long time since he had experienced this level of agony.

Even though he could now see the house, he knew he wasn't going to make it there on his own two feet. He was suddenly very glad that Scott had accompanied him when he knew he was now failing to hold any of his own weight.

Scott grunted at the shock of suddenly having to support Gordon's full weight but he managed to gently guide his brother down onto the sand. Gordon wasn't the heaviest of his brothers but he wasn't exactly light either. He quickly did a quick check of his brother making sure he was still conscious.

"How're you doing spout?" He kept his tone light as he tried to not let Gordon on to how much he was panicking right now.

Gordon attempted a weak smile though it was dimmed with pain.

"I've been better"

Brains had told Scott how serious this poison was and that he had to get Gordon back to the house as quickly as possible before he went into cardiac arrest. The genius certainly hadn't spared Scott any of the gory details and looking down at his brother now, Scott knew he hadn't been exaggerating.

Gordon was pale and dripping in sweat, Scott could see him visibly shaking and his face was contorted in pain. Scott couldn't believe how quickly Gordon had deteriorated. It had been all of 20 minutes since he had been stung by that thing and he'd been reduced to this?

He was still reeling over the fact that Gordon said this thing could potentially kill him. He felt like he couldn't think straight and every second he was wasting right now was delaying his little brother from getting help.

"Scott!"

Scott looked up towards the direction of the house at hearing his name. He gave an inaudible sigh of relief as he could see Virgil sprinting across the beach towards him, Brains must have filled him in on the situation. Having Virgil here and knowing he no longer had to deal with this alone allowed Scott to ground himself and step into his role of Field Commander as he took control of the situation.

"Virgil! Grab his other side, we need to get him back to the house"

Scott could see Virgil's eyes brimming with questions and worry but he merely gave a brief nod at Scott's words clearly knowing their first priority was getting Gordon to the infirmary. The younger blond gave a grunt of pain as he was hoisted off the ground by his brothers.

"Sorry Gords, hang on we're almost there" Scott reassured.

Gordon merely grunted his acknowledgment as his chin rested on his chest, his neck no longer offering support. He was white as a sheet, soaked in sweat and wheezing as they made their way up the stairs leading back to the house.

Finally bursting into the infirmary, Scott was glad to see Brains there ready – even if he did jump violently when they entered. They placed Gordon down on the bed brains was standing by and the scientist immediately got to work. Scott sat by his brother's bed, wanting to make sure Gordon knew he wasn't alone.

Brains inserted an IV explaining that it held antibiotics and pain relief for which Scott was extremely grateful for as Gordons face was screwed up in agony even though the rest of his body couldn't react to it.

"What the hell happened Scott?" He heard Virgil ask as Brains began removing the spikes from Gordons hand.

Scott found himself only now being able to properly think through what had happened as he ran a soothing hand through Gordons hair in an attempt to comfort his brother. It was only now he realised that he'd caused this, he'd been the one to push his brother into the rockpool in the first place – even if it had only been through reflex.

He was the reason Gordon was now lying here struggling to breathe as his body was shutting down. Before he had the chance to answer Virgil, however, Gordon's eyes rolled back into his head and his body started convulsing on the bed.

Scott jumped up, his face the picture of horror.

"What's happening to him!?"

Both Brains and Virgil ignored him as Brains quickly said "H-hand me the syringe of b-benzodiazepine. We need to stop the convulsions."

Scott was suddenly very glad Virgil was here as his brother swiftly picked up and uncapped one of the syringes laid out at the side before giving to Brains to administer. Scott waited with baited breath and was glad when eventually Gordon lay still.

Virgil gently turned Gordon over, so he was lying on his side, seeing the shock still on Scott's face he took pity on his brother and filled him in.

"He'll be able to breathe better on his side"

Scott was near his breaking point as he sat back, or rather fell into the chair once again. It was one thing for something like this to be happening but for it to have happened on the island was another thing entirely.

When they were on a rescue Scott was always prepared for the fact that one of his brothers may be injured. It was a risk that came with the job, but they were supposed to be safe on the island. He guessed because they were so used to being there they tended to forget that living on an isolated island in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean could actually be quite dangerous.

With Gordon now unconscious and Brains and Virgil doing everything they possibly could to help the younger Tracy, Scott knew he would only be getting in the way by trying to help. He merely sat by his brother's side, waiting for this nightmare to be over.

Gordon knew before he was even fully awake that he was in the infirmary, the bright lights and soft bed made themselves known as he struggled to open his eyes. What he couldn't quite figure out was what had happened. He felt really warm and tried to push the bed sheets off of him.

His limbs felt really numb and he struggled to even lift his arm off the bed. What on earth had he done to himself? Had they been on a rescue? Squinting his eyes open in the harsh light he glanced around. If he was feeling this bad he knew one of his brothers would probably be there, it was a Tracy family trademark to host a vigil in the infirmary if any of them were injured.

He wasn't surprised when he saw Scott sitting in a chair by his side and judging by the fact he was currently fast asleep with his head resting on Gordon's bed, he'd been here a while.

"Scott?" Wow, his voice didn't sound that great either but it did the trick as his eldest brother shot up from his light slumber in a confused startle.

"Gordon!" Scott's voice was extremely loud and Gordon had to hide the wince at the spike of pain it caused in his head "How're you feeling?"

"Like crap and currently experiencing a major lap in my memory of what happen so…care to fill me in?"

Gordon wasn't too out of it to notice the look of guilt that crossed his eldest brothers face briefly before being expertly covered up.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Scott ventured.

Gordon really had to think about this one, he was so disoriented right now and he honestly couldn't even place what day of the week it was. Then memories of the storm came back to him and the boredom it had brought. He recalled him and Alan laying some very in-depth plans for some mischievous future pranks which brought a smirk to his face.

Then he remembered the rockpools and the smirk turned to a grimace as he finally realised what had happened.

"Oh…yeah I'm remembering now. My loyal sea creatures betrayed me." Gordon pouted.

Scott apparently took this the wrong way as he exclaimed rather suddenly "Don't joke about this Gordon! You could've died and it would have been all my fault. God…" he put his head in his hands. "Why do you all insist on putting me through this so often."

Gordon's muddled brain took a minute to process Scott's rambling before responding "Okay backtrack a bit here, how was this in any way your fault?"

Scott gave him a serious look "I was the one that pushed you into the rockpool in the first place Gordon. None of this would've happened if I hadn't."

Gordon sighed; Scott had clearly spiralled deep into this pool of guilt while waiting for him to wake up. He knew it was not going to be easy to convince his brother otherwise.

"Did you mean for me to get stung by the urchin Scott?" Gordon asked.

As predicted, Scott face morphed into an expression of mortification at the accusation and he replied spluttering "Wh-what!? Of course not Gordon."

Gordon rolled his eyes "Of course you didn't Scott, and that's precisely why this is not your fault. It was an accident."

"I still shouldn't have pushed you"

Gordon sighed "Let it go Scott. Please?"

Scott nodded; noting that this probably wasn't the best time to be having this conversation anyway. Gordon still looked rather pale and his eyes were starting to droop closed again.

"Get some rest Gords" Scott whispered ruffling his hair.

Gordon, with his eyes now closed, gave a yawn and mumbled as he drifted to sleep "If it makes you feel any better, Alan and I have an epic prank planned for you…guarantee you won't be feeling any sympathy for me after that"

Scott grimaced at the thought but in all honesty he'd take a lifetime of pranking over the alternative.

This incident had really made him reconsider the safety precautions in place on the island. When they were on a rescue they took every precaution in the book, they had protocol after protocol, if something went wrong they had most likely trained for how to handle it.

Today's events had really rattled him and he was already making mental plans to run some training simulations on the island. And potentially put restrictions on where they could go but he had a feeling that would not go down well with the rest of his family.

He knew he couldn't protect his family from everything but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try his goddamn hardest to anyway.

When Virgil popped his head round the infirmary door asking if he wanted relieved from watch duty he glanced at Gordon and quietly shook his head.

This was where he was meant to be.

_fin._


End file.
